New Year's Delight
by firnoviel
Summary: Sequel to Christmas Stranger. Ami is invited to Quatre's for New Year's Eve. She's not sure what to do. Will Quatre be able to convince her that she's not making a mistake? AxQ


Well, I decided to write another little holiday one-shot for this genre, and I guess it's a sequel to _Christmas Stranger_. I just came up with this spur the moment, so I apologize for errors. I made them college students because I wanted to. However, it did take me forever to write, so please be kind and read and review!

Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing.

------

Ami stared blankly at the note Quatre had left for her. He wanted _her_ to call _him? _ Did he realize that she, Ami Mizuno, barely ever _spoke _to boys, let alone had the courage to actually pick up the phone and call one? And yet, she found herself suddenly attracted to the phone. When had it gotten into her hand? And her fingers seemed to be dialing the number of their own accord.

_Oh no! It's ringing! What do I say? What if he's not the one who answers the phone? What if he's not home? What if he regrets leaving this note? What if-_

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a male voice on the other end of the line.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Quatre? ...Hey, it's Ami..."

"Hey, Ami! It's good to hear from you! I was hoping you'd find my note. Sorry I kinda snuck out last night, but you fell asleep and I didn't want to wake you."

"Thanks." Ami could feel herself blushing. She was just relieved that Quatre couldn't see her through the phone. "So, um..." she started.

"Hey, are you doing anything for New Year's Eve?" Quatre suddenly asked, as though sensing her uneasiness through the phone.

Ami was caught off-guard. "What? Uh...no, I don't think so..." She did a quick mental scan of all of her engagements for the coming week. She didn't remember making any plans for New Year's Eve...

"Great! Would you like to come to my house and spend it with me? I was just going to have a quiet get-together with a few old friends. I want to return your favor. Please?" he asked. Ami suddenly was reminded of his kind, beautiful teal eyes.

"Sure. That sounds like fun," she said.

"Okay, good. I live at 429 Symphonic Drive. Is 8 o'clock alright?"

"Yeah, sure," Ami said as she wrote down the address.

"Splendid! I look forward to seeing you then!" Ami could almost hear his smile through the phone.

"Okay...bye..." she said.

"Bye, Ami!"

Ami hung up the phone and found that her heart was racing and her palms were sweaty.

"I think I'll go take a shower now," she said to no one in particular.

---

After her shower, Ami realized that she didn't know what the heck she was going to wear to this little "get-together," let alone what she would say or do. Having Quatre over for Christmas wasn't bad because she hadn't really had time to think, it had just happened. Now, though, she had five whole days to wonder what to do.

Once again, she found herself on the phone. This time, though, it was with Rei.

"Rei? Hey, it's Ami. Listen, I have a bit of a dilemma, and I need your help. Can I come over for a while?" she asked her friend.

"Yeah, sure, Ami. I'll be waiting," Rei responded before hanging up the phone. This was odd...Ami was almost never the one to have problems. Rei shrugged and picked up her broom to continue sweeping out the shrine.

---

Ami got dressed and jogged all the way to Rei's shrine. She arrived sweaty and puffing, her breath coming out in little white clouds.

"Hey, Ami, what's the rush?" Rei said, coming outside. One glance at her friend's serious face and she grabbed her arm and ushered her inside. "Wanna tell me over some hot chocolate?" she offered and Ami nodded in agreement.

After Rei had gotten the hot mugs of chocolaty goodness, Ami had managed to compose her thoughts. She told Rei all about meeting Quatre at the park on Christmas day, the spur-the-moment invitation to have him over for Christmas dinner, the unexpected note, the even more unexpected phone call, and finally the New Year's invitation. Rei just nodded and smiled when Ami was finished.

"Well, Ami, I'm pleased to see that you're finally showing some interest in boys! This Quatre sounds like a pretty nice guy and I'm glad to hear that you're going to see him again. But I do understand your problem. First, we need to get you an outfit. I think I've got just the thing, too." And with that, Rei disappeared into her bedroom for several minutes. Ami sat and sipped her hot chocolate and stared into the fireplace.

After a while, Rei returned holding a simple but elegant pale green dress. It had a flowing knee-length skirt with a fitted halter top.

"Here, Ami, I think this should do the trick. It's a little summery, but I've got a lovely sweater you can wear over it, and a coat besides! I'll even lend you a pair of heels to match. What do you think?" Rei asked, holding the dress up for Ami's inspection.

"I think it's lovely! Do you really think I can pull if off, though?" Ami asked with wide eyes as she fingered the silky material of the skirt.

"Ami, all that swimming you do has definitely paid off. You've got a killer body, and you're beautiful and sweet. I think Quatre will be charmed off his feet at the mere sight of you!" Rei responded with a cheeky grin. Ami blushed furiously.

"Well, may I try the whole ensemble on?" Ami asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, just let me fish out the rest of the stuff from my closet." Rei led Ami into her bedroom and began rooting around in her closet once again. She pulled out a white cashmere cardigan with little rhinestone buttons, a stylish trench coat, and a pair of adorable silver stilettos. Ami was in awe of the lovely things hidden in Rei's amazing closet. "Now, I'm gonna wait in the living room while you change. But make it snappy! I want to see the finished product!" Rei laughed and exited the room.

When Ami came out a few minutes later, Rei couldn't help but wolf-whistle at her friend. The dress clung in all the right places and flowed away from her body at the hips to float down to her knees. The heels made her already nice legs look a mile long and her calves looked incredibly shapely. The sweater was chic and helped soften her features.

"I tried the trench coat on, too, and it's perfect. I didn't think I really needed to model that for you, though," Ami explained.

"Okay. Well, stop by on your way to his house on New Year's Eve and I'll help you do your hair and makeup, too, okay?" Rei said as Ami turned to go change.

"Okay, sounds like a plan!" Ami said before shutting the door.

---

Before Ami knew it, it was New Year's Eve. She was jittery even though Rei had provided her with clothes. She still didn't know what to say, and she doubted that she would look good enough to be able to avoid conversation all night. Finally, she left for Rei's at six o'clock.

"Hey, Ami! Excited?" Rei asked when she saw Ami.

"Excited, nervous, and slightly nauseous," Ami said.

"Well, so long as it's only slightly you should be okay," Rei grinned. "Now, let's get to work!" She pulled out her big box of makeup and started in.

After about half an hour, she finally stood back to admire her handiwork. "Ami, you're gorgeous!" she exclaimed.

Ami turned and looked in the mirror and was in awe of the lady staring back at her. Her eyes were luminous with charcoal eyeliner, thick mascara-enhanced eyelashes, and shimmering deep green eye shadow. Her skin was perfectly smooth and her cheeks had a rosy tint gracing them. Her lips were full and soft looking with a light red lipstick which perfectly complimented her creamy skin.

"And to complete the entire ensemble, I have some little diamond earrings," Rei said, pulling a little jewelry box out of her pocket.

Ami took the small studs and put them in her ears. She couldn't help but agree with Rei; she really did look fantastic. She stood up and turned to her raven-haired friend. "Thank you, Rei; I really appreciate all of this. I'll be sure to tell you all about it tomorrow. Could you do me one last favor, though?" she asked. Rei nodded. "Please don't tell the other girls where I'm going tonight. I don't want Serena trying to show up at this party. I'll tell them about it later, I promise. Just make an excuse for me tonight, okay?"

"Sure, Ami," Rei said. She completely understood. Ami gave Rei a quick hug and flashed her a smile before setting off to locate Quatre's house.

---

Ami double-checked the slip of paper in her hand. _429 Symphonic Drive. This is really it?_ She thought as she gazed up at the impressive mansion in front of her. Cautiously she pressed the buzzer at the front gate. The guard glanced at her and swung open the gate. She walked quickly up the front drive, and just as she was wondering whether or not to knock, the huge door swung open and there, bathed in the light from the open doorway, stood Quatre.

"Ami! Hey, come on in out of the cold. I'm glad you could make it. You didn't have any trouble finding the place, did you?" Quatre asked as he shut the door behind her. Ami just shook her head as she gazed around at the splendor surrounding her. The marble floors were so shiny that they almost reflected the giant crystal chandelier above her head, and the buttercup yellow walls looked gold in the light. All of the woodwork was a rich mahogany color.

Quatre must have seen her stare, because he suddenly blushed and said, "It's a little fancy for me, but my dad owns the place, so I guess he can decorate it however he likes. Can I take your coat?" he asked, changing the subject.

Finally, Ami turned to him. "Oh, I'm sorry for staring, it's actually quite beautiful. That would be very kind, thank you," she said, shrugging off Rei's borrowed black trench. Quatre took the coat and hung it on the old-fashioned standing coat rack by the door.

When he turned back, he emitted a low whistle. "Wow, Ami, you really look beautiful!" he exclaimed.

Ami blushed. "Thank you," she said. "So, where are these other friends of yours?" she asked, trying to take the attention off of herself.

Now it was Quatre's turn to blush again. Apparently they both blushed quite easily. "Well, they weren't able to get off work after all. They're kind of body guards to a former politician, and some of them have girlfriends, too, so they aren't coming after all. It's just the two of us," he said, now a deep tomato red.

Suddenly, Ami laughed. "I'm sorry that they can't come, but I've been so nervous for the past week about meeting new people, and now I realize just how silly that was," she giggled.

Quatre looked slightly puzzled by her outburst, but then he smiled too. "Well, I'm glad you could come, at least. I've had to spend New Year's alone before, and it's not much fun. Come on, I've got supper ready, and then I figured we could watch a movie or something before ringing in the New Year." He took her hand and led her into the dining room where a lovely candlelit dinner was all set up.

"We've got toshikoshi soba and steak for supper and a lovely non-alcoholic wine," he grinned. He pulled out Ami's chair for her and a servant brought them their food.

After dinner, they went into the spacious living room and settled into a large squishy couch. Quatre sat very close to Ami and cautiously put his arm around her shoulders. Once again, they both blushed slightly, but both were secretly enjoying the sensation.

"What shall we watch?" Quatre asked her, picking up the remote.

"Are there any New Year's Eve specials on?" Ami asked. Quatre flipped through the channels and finally settled on a show with a lot of celebrities doing comedy acts, dancing, singing, performing skits, etc.

While they watched TV, Ami and Quatre talked and asked each other various questions. Ami learned that Quatre was actually originally from Arabia but had moved to Japan as a child. He still occasionally went back to Arabia, but his job was here, so his visits had become less frequent. He had about 30 sisters and his mother had died when he was a baby. He was also a body guard for this former politician, but whenever talked strayed that way, Quatre was slightly elusive and quickly changed the subject saying that he didn't want to talk about work when he didn't have to.

Ami found herself telling Quatre all about herself, as well. How she had been first in her class in high school and was now a straight-A college student. She told him about her friends, her studies, and her mom. Preferring not to discuss her "job" as well, she just said that she found crime-fighting to be an interesting profession and that she had dabbled in it a bit as a child.

Before they knew it, the clock on the mantle read 11:59. The count down was starting on the TV.

"10...9...8...7..." Ami was saying. She felt Quatre chuckling next to her, and as she was saying "3...2...1..." she turned towards him. Suddenly, Quatre's face was very near hers and she felt herself leaning into him. His strong arms were about her shoulders and his lips were softly brushing hers. She gently pressed her lips to his and deepened the kiss. The room disappeared in a blur and she felt as though they were swirling on a cloud with fireworks bursting all around them.

When she finally pulled away slightly, they were both breathing raggedly and she was slightly stunned. How long had they been like that? She didn't know or care.

Suddenly, Quatre stood up, turned the TV off and put some gentle jazz music on the stereo. He then offered Ami his hand.

"Would you care to dance, Miss Mizuno?" he asked with a boyish grin.

Ami took his hand with a smile and said, "Why Mr. Winner, that would be wonderful."

He pulled her up and wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her close while holding on to her hand. She wrapped her free arm around his shoulder and they began to sway to the music. Quatre gently kissed her forehead and Ami her face up to accept his sweet kisses.

------

Well, what did you guys think? That was by far the longest thing I've ever written, so please, please, please review!


End file.
